History Platform / FMTowns

The FM Towns was ultimately discontinued in 1997. In a reverse of what happened with the UsefulNotes/PC98 where the platform folded back into the main IBM PC platform, the FM Towns machines gradually lost their uniqueness as PC hardware caught up and Fujitsu gradually co-opted PC standard hardware while throwing out their unique graphic and sound chipset under the bus (compatiblity is still maintained for older software, but developers were encouraged to develop for Windows 95 in general instead). FM Towns machines too ran Windows 95 by the time they were discontinued.

The fact that [=TownsOS=] is basically MS-DOS with the DOS/V Japanese language supplement and a custom GUI slapped on meant that it is compatible with common Japanese MS-DOS programs written for Japanese IBM [=PCs=], and simpler textmode-only programs will work across the FM Towns, NEC PC-98 and IBM PC platforms unmodified. However, the reverse is not true, as games written specifically for the FM Towns machines require the specialized graphics and sound chipset to always be present, meaning it can not run on PC-98 or IBM PC machines.

The fact that [=TownsOS=] is basically MS-DOS with the DOS/V Japanese language supplement and a custom GUI slapped on meant that it is compatible with most common western programs, and simpler textmode-only programs that do not play sound will work on FM Towns, NEC PC-98 and IBM PC platforms unmodified. However, the reverse is not true, as games written specifically for the FM Towns machines require the specialized graphics and sound chipset to always be present, meaning it can not run on PC-98 or IBM PC machines.

The FM Towns was ultimately discontinued in 1997. In a reverse of what happened with the UsefulNotes/PC98 where the platform folded back into the main IBM PC platform, the FM Towns machines gradually lost their uniqueness as PC hardware caught up and Fujitsu gradually co-opted PC standard hardware while throwing out their unique graphic and sound chipset under the bus (compatiblity is still maintained for older software, but developers were encouraged to develop for Windows 95 in general instead). The final FM Towns machines were technically just PC clones that ran Windows 95.

The FM Towns was ultimately discontinued in 1997. In a reverse of what happened with the PC-98 where the platform folded back into the main IBM PC platform, the FM Towns machines gradually lost their uniqueness as PC hardware caught up and Fujitsu gradually co-opted PC standard hardware while throwing out their unique graphic and sound chipset under the bus (compatiblity is still maintained for older hardware, but developers were encouraged to develop for Windows 95 in general instead). The final FM Towns machines were technically just PC clones that ran Windows 95.

The FM Towns was ultimately discontinued in 1997. In a reverse of what happened with the PC-98 where the platform folded back into the main IBM PC platform, the FM Towns machines gradually lost their uniqueness as PC hardware caught up and Fujitsu gradually co-opted PC standard hardware while throwing out their own unique graphic and sound chipset under the bus (compatiblity is still maintained for older hardware, but developers were encouraged to develop for Windows 95 in general instead). The final FM Towns machines were technically just PC clones that ran Windows 95.

The FM Towns was ultimately discontinued in 1997. In a reverse of what happened with the PC-98 where the platform folded back into the main IBM PC platform, the FM Towns machines gradually lost their uniqueness as PC hardware caught up and Fujitsu gradually co-opted PC standard hardware while throwing out their own unique graphic and sound chipset, and with it any compatibility with older games. The final FM Towns machines were technically just PC clones that ran Windows 95.

The FM Towns was ultimately discontinued in 1997.

Advertised as a "hypermedia personal computer," the Towns retained compatibility with Fujitsu's FMR series of MS-DOS business computers, but offered many more features, including a 32-bit Intel CPU, 32,768 simultaneous colors (like the Sharp X68000, but unlike the more popular UsefulNotes/PC98) out of a 16.78 million color palette, and a built-in CD-ROM drive. Indeed, the system's graphical operating system, [=TownsOS=], booted straight from a CD. The FM Towns, being more expensive than the PC-98, was marketed to high-income households and educational institutions, and thus its market niche in early-1990s Japan became somewhat similar to that occupied by the UsefulNotes/AppleMacintosh in Western countries. The fact that [=TownsOS=] is basically MS-DOS with the DOS/V Japanese language supplement and a custom GUI slapped on meant that it is compatible with most common western programs, and simpler textmode-only programs that do not play sound will work on FM Towns, NEC PC-98 and IBM PC platforms unmodified. However, the reverse is not true, as games written specifically for the FM Towns machines require the specialized graphics and sound chipset to always be present, meaning it can not run on PC-98 or IBM PC machines.

Advertised as a "hypermedia personal computer," the Towns retained compatibility with Fujitsu's FMR series of MS-DOS business computers, but offered many more features, including a 32-bit Intel CPU, 32,768 simultaneous colors (like the Sharp X68000, but unlike the more popular UsefulNotes/PC98) out of a 16.78 million color palette, and a built-in CD-ROM drive. Indeed, the system's graphical operating system, [=TownsOS=], booted straight from a CD. The FM Towns, being more expensive than the PC-98, was marketed to high-income households and educational institutions, and thus its market niche in early-1990s Japan became somewhat similar to that occupied by the UsefulNotes/AppleMacintosh in Western countries.

* ''VideoGame/{{Ultima}} Trilogy'' (compilation of the first three ''VideoGame/UltimaI'', ''[[VideoGame/UltimaII II]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/UltimaIII III]]'' with both, Japanese and English support)

** ''VideoGame/YsIAncientYsVanishedOmen''

* ''Franchise/{{Ultima}} Trilogy'' (compilation of the first three ''Ultima'' with both, Japanese and English support)

* ''VideoGame/UltimaV''

The Japanese electronics and telecommunications company Fujitsu first entered the personal computer market in 1981, but their impact on the 1980s Japanese computer market was fairly small, despite the marginal success of their 8-bit home computer FM-7. In 1989, Fujitsu introduced the '''FM Towns''', a state-of-the-art 32-bit computer which took its name from Nobel Prize winner Charles Hard Townes.[[note]]("Townes" was the unit's [[WorkingTitle code name while under development]]. The "e" was dropped to make the pronunciation clear.)[[/note]] The FM Towns was one of the most powerful PC platforms released up until then, rivaled only by the UsefulNotes/SharpX68000 (which had better graphics, but weaker audio and multimedia capabilities).

The Japanese electronics and telecommunications company Fujitsu first entered the personal computer market in 1981, but their impact on the 1980s Japanese computer market was fairly small, despite the marginal success of their 8-bit home computer FM-7. In 1989, Fujitsu introduced the FM Towns, a state-of-the-art 32-bit computer, which took its name from Nobel Prize winner Charles Hard Townes.[[note]]("Townes" was the unit's [[WorkingTitle code name while under development]]. The "e" was dropped to make the pronunciation clear.)[[/note]] The FM Towns was one of the most powerful PC platforms released up until then, rivaled only by the UsefulNotes/SharpX68000 (which had better graphics, but weaker audio and multimedia capabilities).

The Japanese electronics and telecommunications company Fujitsu first entered the personal computer market in 1981, but their impact on the 1980s Japanese computer market was fairly small, despite the marginal success of their 8-bit home computer FM-7. In 1989, Fujitsu introduced the FM Towns, a state-of-the-art 32-bit computer, which took its name from Nobel Prize winner Charles Hard Townes.[[note]]("Townes" was the unit's [[WorkingTitle code name while under development]])[[/note]] The FM Towns was one of the most powerful PC platforms released up until then, rivaled only by the UsefulNotes/SharpX68000 (which had better graphics, but weaker audio and multimedia capabilities).

* ''Franchise/AloneInTheDark''

Advertised as a "hypermedia personal computer," the Towns retained compatibility with Fujitsu's FMR series of MS-DOS business computers, but offered many more features, including a 32-bit Intel CPU, 32,768 simultaneous colors (like the Sharp X68000, but unlike the more popular PC98) out of a 16.78 million color palette, and a built-in CD-ROM drive. Indeed, the system's graphical operating system, [=TownsOS=], booted straight from a CD. The FM Towns, being more expensive than the PC98, was marketed to high-income households and educational institutions, and thus its market niche in early-1990s Japan became somewhat similar to that occupied by the UsefulNotes/AppleMacintosh in Western countries.

Video games were available on the FM Towns from the start, though few exclusive titles emerged on the system. The system's game library thrived on high-quality {{Arcade Perfect Port}}s, some of which never appeared on other home systems, and enhanced versions of PC98 and Western computer games.

The Japanese electronics and telecommunications company Fujitsu first entered the personal computer market in 1981, but their impact on the 1980s Japanese computer market was fairly small, despite the marginal success of their 8-bit home computer FM-7. In 1989, Fujitsu introduced the FM Towns, a state-of-the-art 32-bit computer, which took its name from Nobel Prize winner Charles Hard Townes. The FM Towns was one of the most powerful PC platforms released up until then, rivaled only by the UsefulNotes/SharpX68000 (which had better graphics, but weaker audio and multimedia capabilities).

The Japanese electronics and telecommunications company Fujitsu first entered the personal computer market in 1981, but their impact on the 1980s Japanese computer market was fairly small, despite the marginal success of their 8-bit home computer FM-7. In 1989, Fujitsu introduced the FM Towns, a state-of-the-art 32-bit computer, which took its name from Nobel Prize winner Charles Hard Townes. The FM Towns was one of the most powerful PC platforms released up until then, rivaled only by the SharpX68000 (which had better graphics, but weaker audio and multimedia capabilities).

* ''[[VideoGame/{{Genocide}} Genocide
: Genocide Square]]'', a compilation of ''Genocide'' and ''Genocide 2: Master of the Dark Communion''

Video games were available on the FM Towns from the start, though few exclusive titles emerged on the system. The system's game library thrived on high-quality {{Arcade Perfect Port}}s, some of which were never appeared on other home systems, and enhanced versions of PC98 and Western computer games.

* Video modes: 320*200 to 1024*768 resolution, with 16 to 32,768 simultaneous colors out of a palette of up to 16.7 million. Video modes could be combined.
* Sprites: 16*16 size, 1024 maximum on screen.

* ''[[VideoGame/{{Genocide}} Genocide^2: Genocide Square]]'', a compilation of ''Genocide'' and ''Genocide 2: Master of the Dark Communion''